Cost constraints and technology limitations have historically inhibited the deployment of video systems incorporating high frame rates. Consequently, for example, the legacy infrastructure for propagating television signals and displaying these signals in a television set uses a relatively low 30/60 frames per second (fps). However, it is highly desirable to use high frame rate video because of various benefits provided by these high frame rates. Such benefits include significant reduction in undesirable artifacts such as motion blur and judder that are often present in existing video reproduction systems.
Unfortunately, even though video processing technology has advanced to a point where high frame rate video systems (such as 240 fps systems) are technologically feasible at a reasonable cost; such evolved video systems face other constraints that cannot be reasonably ignored. For example, the bandwidth limitations that are inherently present in existing transmission infrastructure (cable, wireless etc.) and in legacy video reproduction equipment (older/existing television sets, movie projectors etc.) cannot be reasonably ignored when deploying high frame rate video systems because such an action would result in a loss of revenue derived from a significant number of such legacy applications.
It is therefore desirable to provide solutions that not only allow newer display devices to receive and display high frame rate video but also permit legacy devices to receive and display high frame rate video at a lower frame rate that can be accommodated by such legacy equipment.